


juicy details

by mizzymouse



Series: Randland University (College AU) [3]
Category: Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drunk Sex, Gen, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Walk Of Shame, it's kinda gay okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 08:04:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10612698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizzymouse/pseuds/mizzymouse
Summary: Mat's drunk self makes some interesting decisions. Sometimes they're not bad. Not exactly.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I've gone back and forth about writing some WoT college au for a while and I'm finally taking the plunge.  
> Background information for this AU is found on the series page.

— — Min — —

where’d u go? (Yesterday 11:23pm)

mat? (Yesterday 11:46pm)

answer ur phone, avi and i are getting worried about you (12:05am)

okay well we’re leaving the club now, see u later (12:37am)

im gonna ping ur phone in the morning if we haven’t heard from you (1:24am)

hey (11:23am)

min i uh (11:23am)

i did something, i might have fucked up (11:24am)

okay but you’re alive right (11:25am)

yeah i mean im physically okay (11:26am)

avi and i are at ur place, come home? (11:26am)

okay yeah ill be there soon (11:27am)

* * *

The walk of shame wasn’t exactly a foreign thing to Mat Cauthon, certainly, but this particular predicament was almost entirely new. There was the dull thudding of a hangover headache building between his eyes. Only rarely did he drink as much as he had, and never before going home with someone. The inside of his mouth tasted like sleep and yesterday’s liquor. Finding a glass of water, a cold compress for his forehead, and a dark room were items high on his “please do immediately” list. A phone charger, too, since his was almost (but thankfully not) dead. The last of his battery was going to be used on finding the shortest route home. He knew he wasn’t far, exactly, but this part of town was pretty new to him. He punched the microphone-search-assistant button on his home screen. 

“I want to go home.”

“Okay, navigating to Home.”

“Thanks.” It never heard, but being polite to the artificial woman was comforting anyway. The screen changed two or three times, finally settling on the GPS navigation. Two unfamiliar turns until he got to a more familiar area of town, twenty minutes walking in all. He could remember that well enough to put his phone away. Looking at the screen made his headache worse, anyway. 

But it wasn’t just the drinking or the unfamiliar location that were new. Mat Cauthon had a type, and everyone knew. At least, everyone where he used to live knew. Pretty, energetic girls who danced until even he was tired. Affectionate and easy to cuddle were both bonuses. He had a string of girlfriends in high school, nothing serious, but he definitely had a type. And until recently, he had been absolutely sure that type didn’t extend to men. 

Clearly, his drunk self had some different ideas about who he found attractive. 

Mat had grabbed his clothes and snuck out of the apartment before the guy woke up. Not that what he could remember had been bad. Not that at all, in fact. It was all just a little unexpected. He needed some time to process. At least as long as it would take mystery guy to wake up, find Mat gone, and find the hastily scrawled note and phone number Mat had left on his kitchen table. 

He had shoulder-length curly hair, dyed blue and fading, that smelled faintly of lavender soap and cigarette smoke from the gay club they had been dancing in, and hips that could only be described as grabbable. Bitable, too, if you really wanted to sink your teeth into something. 

Groaning to himself, Mat tried to shift his alcohol-addled brain to a different line of thought. _Enough time for that later, when I’m in less pain._ It wasn’t just his head. He had at least a few bruises, which were common after a night out dancing in crowded clubs. Elbows were always a little sharper than expected. He felt gingerly along his arms and up his shoulders, mentally marking the bright spots of pain he found. When he got to his neck, he found more, duller spots, and slapped a hand over them. His skin was warm against his palm, the bruising adding heat to the embarrassment as his entire face flushed red. Hickeys weren’t new to him, but these felt different. Not that anyone would know where he had gotten them from. They would assume he had done _something_ , yes, but nobody would know anything specific. The street was empty besides the occasional car passing by, anyway, nobody he knew would be there to interrogate him. 

Also, why feel ashamed? _I had sex with a dude. There, I said it. In my own head, at least. I, Matrim Cauthon, had really sloppy, drunk sex with a virtual stranger who just so happened to also have a penis. A virtual stranger with really soft lips and strong shoulders and a nice di-_

He groaned again. Later, plenty of time for that later. His headache was getting worse. He was only a few minutes away from his apartment, and he was going to have to rehash the entire thing, what he could remember of it, to Min and Aviendha and whoever else was home. Those last few minutes were spent frantically over-thinking that note and whether he had written his phone number in a manner others would describe as legible. 

* * *

Min and Aviendha were sprawled across the couches in the living room Mat shared with Rand and Perrin. The two women, plus Elayne, were guests so often they might as well have moved in. Mat had a suspicion that they would, if Rand had a bed large enough to comfortably sleep four. Mat sat down heavily in an empty spot, cradling his pounding head in his hands. The scent of fresh coffee filled the room. 

“Who else is home?”

“Just us. Rand’s on campus studying, Perrin’s out somewhere.” Min put down the book she was reading to give Mat a once-over. “I’ll get you a cup of coffee and then you can tell us where exactly you ran off to.”

“Yeah, okay. Thanks. Uh, some painkillers too, if you could.”

“Can do,” Min mumbled as she disappeared into the kitchen. There was a hiss of steam and some assorted mechanical noises. Despite working at a coffee shop all week, Min still put in the effort to make good espresso drinks when she was at home. The machine was old and temperamental, a castoff from the shop, but it still made damn good coffee. And a lot of noise.

“So?” Aviendha cocked an eyebrow at him, blue-green eyes piercing. Min handed him a mug, filled to the brim with milk froth, and copied Aviendha’s expression almost exactly. She slipped a few pills into his hand before sitting down next to the other woman. 

“So what?” Mat swallowed the pills with a sip of coffee and tried to avoid the twin stares. 

“So, we were worried about you, woolhead. What happened?”

“I, uhh, left the club early.”

“Left when you were still very drunk,” Aviendha said pointedly. “When we were trying to keep an eye on you. And didn’t answer your phone.”

“I’m not hurt, if that’s what you’re both so concerned about. Nothing bad happened.”

They both looked a little relieved, but continued to stare him down. _Might as well get this over with. They’re not going to stop pestering me until I explain myself._ He took a few swallows of coffee to buy himself some time. 

“I’ve been under a lot of stress lately. End of the semester and all.” He ran his thumbs along the rim of the mug. “Maybe I drank a little more than I had originally planned.”

“Maybe,” Aviendha scoffed. “I’m surprised we didn’t have to carry you home.” 

“Well you didn’t, and I’m fine, so get off my case about it.” He took a deep breath and another swallow of coffee. “Sorry, I know you both care. I just, uhh, I…”

They both looked at him expectedly. 

“I went home with someone.”

Aviendha’s face split into a huge grin, and Min giggled, trying to hide her amusement with a hand. 

“So? Spill! Who’s the lucky girl?” Min shifted to sit next to him and jab him in the ribs playfully. A few for his neck, too. She had noticed the hickeys. 

“Ow, Min, careful. Bruises.” He swatted her hands away and gave her a sheepish smile. “It uh… I didn’t go home with a girl, actually.” 

Their expressions changed, more surprised now than anything, but they still looked pleased. Aviendha stared at him blankly for a moment, then snapped her fingers at him, eyes refocusing. 

“The guy with blue hair! It was him, wasn’t it? I saw you dancing with him. He was cute.”

“Oh yeah, that guy. He was _definitely_ interested. So, Mat, are we right? Huh?”

“Yeah, okay.” He chuckled into his mug, feeling the heat rising on his face. “It was him.”

“Seriously? Ha!” Min punched his arm and laughed uproariously. Aviendha joined in. With the laughing, not the punching. Thankfully.

“Ouch. Yeah, seriously. And seriously, bruises.” He shifted the half-empty mug to one hand so he could rub his arm. Min punched hard. 

“Sorry.” She didn’t look sorry. “Can we get all the juicy details?”

Mat just blushed redder and buried his face in the last of his coffee. Both women giggled at him, but they did stop looking at him so expectingly. 

“Go take a shower. You still smell like smoke and liquor.” Aviendha said, gently prompting him to get up. “We can talk when you’re feeling less hungover.” She held out a hand and took this mug, and he nodded at her gratefully, face still warm. 

“But don’t think I don’t expect to hear all about it later.” Min laughed, and Aviendha gave her a look. “What? He doesn’t have to share if he really doesn’t want to, but I’m curious! What of it?”


End file.
